AbstractsPolitical Science

Our hypothesis investigates the political, legal and social spaces for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working with refugees in Ethiopia. The thesis assesses the implications for a highly controlled and restricted civil society. The nation’s legislation, use of control and surveillance are among the conditions that form and challenge the work of the CSOs in Ethiopia. We also focus on the construction and discourses that surrounds ‘people on the move’. A theoretical framework of Patron‐Client Relations is applied in order to analyze and explain the Ethiopian society as well as the country’s history of power and rule. The phenomenon of civil society has been tested in an African context in order to understand the role of the CSOs. Agamben´s theoretical concepts shed light on the intertwined relationship between state and civil society. De Genova’s work on the obscure scene of immigration, legislation and employment shows the reasons behind a paradoxical situation in Addis Ababa, where hundreds and thousands of refugees are allowed to create a livelihood in the capital. The thesis, therefore includes reflections upon the game of the illusive refugee. The main findings include: • The political, legal and social spaces of the CSOs are defined by informal challenges such as the government’s control of public institutions and the implementation of community level surveillance. Moreover the spaces for CSOs are defined by formal restrictions such as the restrictive legislations on CSOs. • States, CSOs and the ‘people that move’ are all producing and reproducing refugee concepts and definitions according to their own interests. • Cities are integrated into refugee livelihoods and strategies and many refugees take up residency in the urban areas. • Despite the restrictive policies on CSOs, the international CSOs continue to operate in Ethiopia due to political interests from the West.